Package wrapping mechanism



Deo. 30, 1952 o. SANDBERG 2,623,339

PACKAGE 'WRAPPING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 20, 1947 2 SHEETSMSHEET 1 I N V EN TOR. 05am ,azzdbe/y Patented Dec. 30, 1952 PACKAGE WRAPPING MECHANISM Oscar Sandberg, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Lynch Corporation, Anderson, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application August 20, 1947, Serial No. 769,618

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a package wrapping mechanism and particularly to means for holding a wrapper for articles in position while moving the articles, with the wrapper partially in place, into a folder head or the like. The invention constitutes a variation in the wrapper hold. down mechanism shown in my copending application Serial No. 712,970, filed November 29, 1946, for Package Wrapping Mechanism.

It is an object of the invention to provide a package wrapping mechanism having a wrapper hold down feature which requires a minimum of parts and dispenses with complicated leverage systems, mechanical movements and timing devices. 7

It is another object of the invention to provide a wrapper hold down mechanism which effectively prevents slippage of the wrapper relative to the article to be wrapped during part of the wrapping operation and which does not crush or injure fragile articles, such as cookies, crackers or cracker sandwiches.

It is a further object of the invention to utilize an essential element of a folding head of a wrapping machine as the hold downmechanism and to thus dispense with unnecessary parts and mechanical means of operating and timing such parts.

It is still another object of the invention to dispense with the necessity for timing the wrap per hold down mechanism of a wrapping machine.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide a spring biased, pivoted plate on the folding head of a wrapping machine which serves the dual purpose'of providing a portion of a receiving pocket for the partially wrapped articles and also operates as a hold down means for the wrapping material during its movement into said pocket. I

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in the claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: Y

Figure l is a top plan view of a foldinghead constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a sideelevational view of the folding head;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view of the mounting for the wrapper hold down mechanism;

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the folding head and a portion of the wrapping machine showing the position of the parts as a partially wrapped package is being ejected from the folding head; and

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing the article to be wrapped being raised into the folding head together with the wrapping material.

Referring specifically to the drawings for a detailed description of the invention, numeral ll designates generally the folding head, numeral 12 a table for wrapping material it], numeral l3 a lifting ram, numeral l a forked ejecting member or push rod, and numeral i5 a movable bell crank lever for opening the pockets of the folding head. The folding head H is rotated clockwise one quarter of a turn at a time, the ram I3 is raised, the ejecting member M is reciprocated horizontally and the bell crank lever I5 is oscillated, all at timed intervals by suitable mechanism which is not shown because it is well understood in the art. An example of such mechanism is clearly shown and described in my aforesaid copending application Serial No. 712,970.

The folding head H comprises two stub shafts iii and I! on which a casting is mounted. The casting includes two end plates I8 and I9 with a square connecting post 2|. At the center of the post 2|, two cross passages 22 are provided at right angles to each other having four connecting portions 23.

Each end plate 58 and 19 has journaled therein a rod 24. It will be noted that four of the rods 24 are provided and that the folder head I I has four article receiving pockets, each formed by a flat plate 25 and arcuate plates 25 and 21'.

The flat plates 25 are secured to the post sections 23 so that they are fixed with respect to the rotary folder head I I. The arcuate plates 26 are secured to the rods 24. The arcuate plates 21 are secured to rods 23 which are journaled in two bearings 29 secured to the stationary flat plates 25.

The folded head includes compression plates 3| and 32, one for each of the four pockets of the head. Each plate 3! is carried by a rod 33 which is fixed with respect to the folder head by being carried in the end plate It. Each plate 32 is carried by a rod 34 which is slidable in end plate ,38-39 pivoted at 4| and carrying a pin Mat the lower end of arm 38. The pin 42 is adapted to engage a projecting pin 43 which extends at a right angle from the rod 24. The bell crank lever 38-39 is rocked to the position shown in Figure 5 to rotate the lowermost plate 26 to permit entry of an article into the pocket of the folder head. After the article and its wrapper I have entered the pocket, the bell crank 38-39 is rocked counterclockwise and the ram 13 is lowered. The plate 25 is then rotated to the closed position by tension springs 44 connected to the extensions 55 on rod 24 and to the pins 46 in end plates I3 and I9.

The article also pushes the lowermost arcuate plate 27 upwardly from the position shown in Figure to'the position shown in Figure 4. The plates 21 are biased and tend to rotate because of coil springs 47 secured to one of the bearings 26 and to a collar 48 secured to shaft or rod 28, as best shown in Figure 3. A second collar 49 is secured to shaft 28 and is provided with a stop pin 5! which strikes the flat plate and limits rotation of the arcuate plate 2?. The plates 26 and 2? and the plates 3| and 32 cooperate to retain the partially wrapped package in the pocket. The spring pressed plate 2'? also holds the wrapper 10 in position on the article as the article is being raised into a pocket by ram it.

The wrapper if) is preferably fed to the wrapping machine in roll form, which is out into proper lengths, as shown for example in my Patent 2,883,096. The wrapper is fed on to the table l2 in flat form beneath a pair of wrapper control rods 52 and 53. One of the rods is capable of slight floating movement and the space between the rods is normally slightly less than the diameter of the article. The rods thereby effect a close wrapping of the wrapper it] around the article.

The pusher rod [4 is forked, as shown at 15,

so that it will straddle the arcuate plates 27 when ejecting a package, as shown best in Figure 4. The pusher rod 14 is operated by any suitable means in properly timed relation to the folding head and ram movement.

A lever arm 5%, having a lug Ella thereon, is

provided and the lug 58a is positioned to engage the pin 43 on rod 24 to dispose plate 26 in the open position when the article is ejected by pusher rod I l. The lever arm is operated in proper timed relation to pusher rod i l by any suitable linkage (not shown).

A folding plate 54, which is biased toward the folding head by a spring 55, is provided to wrap the wrapper It around the article and seal the same, as shown in Figure 5. Heating elements 56 are provided in plate 56 to effect sealing, the wrapper Iii usually being cellophane or similar material. As the article and the wrapper are ejected, the ends of the wrapper are folded down by suitable folding plates generally indicated at 57'.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided an improved folding head for a wrapping machine which is less complicated than former heads and which insures that the wrapping material will not slip relative to the article during the wrapping process.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it ismy intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of st'ruc ture or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope without sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

I claim as my invention: 1. Means for retaining a wrapper in position relative to an article while they are elevated by a ram for entering a pocket of a folding head of a package wrapping machine comprising a spring biased plate pivoted to the folding head in a position to engage with and be moved by the article as it is elevated into position by the ram, and a second pivoted plate for retaining the article and wrapper in the pocket after the ram moves out of engagement with the article, said plates being curved, the first one to Wipe the article and wrapper with a small portion of th plate and finally contact a substantial portion thereof and the second one to embrace the article and wrapper sufiiciently to effect retention thereof in said pocket.

2. Means for retaining a wrapper in position relative to an article while they are elevated by a ram for entering a pocket of a folding head of a package wrapping machine comprising a pivoted and spring biased plate for each pocket, said spring biased plate being pivoted on and carried by the folding head in a position to engage with and be swung by the article as it is elevated into.

position by the ram, means associated with each pocket for retaining the article and wrapper therein when the ram disengages from the article and the head is rotated, said last means com prising a second pivoted and spring biased plate for each pocket swingable to a position for engaging and partially embracing the article and V the wrapper in the pocket, and mean for moving said second plate to an open position while the ram is elevating an article and wrapper into the pocket for that plate.

3. Means for retaining a wrapper in position relative to an article while they are elevated by a ram for entering a pocket of a folding head of a package Wrapping machine comprising a spring biased plate pivoted to the folding head in a position to initially engage at its outer end with, and

be moved by, the article as it is elevated into position by the ram, said plate first occupying a position within the pocket and finally a position adjacent the top and one side thereof, means for retaining the article and wrapper in the pocket after the ram moves out of engagement with the article, said last means comprising a second spring biased plate pivoted in a position at the opposite side of said pocket for engaging the article and the wrapper in the pocket, means for moving said second plate to anopen position while the ram is elevating an article and wrapper into the pocket, and means for ejecting said article and wrapper from said pocket.

OSCAR SANDBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references. are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,805,693 Gladeck May 19,1931 1,875,979 Beutel Sept. 6, 1932 2,066,414 Milmoe l Jan. 5, 1937 2,077,431 Neumair Apr. 20, 1937 2,195,222 Neumair Mar. 26, 194?) 2,276,584 Malhiot Mar/17,1942

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 396,212 Great Britain Apr. 8, 1-933 

